Philosophy

Can I get a job?

Philosophy is one of the most versatile majors when it comes to possible career choices. Majoring in philosophy indicates to future employers or graduate schools that the student can grapple with complex and difficult ideas, can write cogently, and most importantly can think clearly and creatively. Thus majoring in philosophy makes available a variety of future possibilities, including

A survey for the New York Times in 1997 of philosophy graduates from 20 years earlier reported on their success and the importance of their philosophy degrees. The Times article (see the link here) said:

"Philosophy majors in the class of 1977 have spent the last two decades building striking resumes - just not in philosophy."

"Their professional success may stem from the fact that philosophy students seem more likely than those with other degrees to attend graduate or professional school."

Dr. Joseph P. Brunner, a physician who graduated from Nebraska in philosophy, said that "of all the gifts that his philosophy degree has given him . . . creativity is probably the most important. Those who majored in science, then headed straight for medical school and years of practice can have a narrow outlook, he said. 'They don't have enough raw data outside their scientific training to provide those insights, those flashes of creativity', he said."

Ralph Gilbert 3d, who returned to his family's farm after graduation before becoming a lawyer, "credits philosophy with helping him neither in farming nor law; it has only improved his life. 'I think it influences the way I go about doing things', Mr. Gilbert said. 'I think it's given me a sense of the complications that we face as human beings. It gives me a sense of the beauty and wonder of life. It helps me understand people in dire circumstances."